MLS commissioner calls Sounders support ‘shocking’

The passion and level of support for Sounders FC’s debut in Seattle caught even Major League Soccer off guard, league commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday.

Garber said “what happened in Seattle was surprising. I’d even say shocking,” on a national conference call with soccer writers.

Garber, who was at Qwest Field for Thursday’s franchise opener, credited Toronto with setting the bar for MLS support. But he said Seattle has instantly served notice that it intends to meet or exceed that level.

Garber said the Sounders’ opening-day crowd of 32,523 was “unprecedented” in the MLS and “I believe if they’d opened up the whole stadium, they’d have sold all 60,000 of those seats.”

He noted that all 90 luxury boxes were full for the opener and “everyone in the stadium was standing, waving scarves.”

“It had the feel of a super big-time event,” Garber said. “I’ve been in the sports business for 30 years, producing Super Bowls and countless other events. And that was one of the most spectacular sporting events I’ve ever been to. It brought tears to my eyes.

“I looked over at (minority owner) Drew Carey and he literally had tears rolling down his cheeks. That game was the perfect kickoff for that team.”

Garber noted that Seattle’s opener was sandwiched around the announcement of new expansion franchises for Vancouver, B.C, and Portland.

“That will create a rivalry we think will change the landscape of soccer in the United States and Canada. It’ll provide an intense, concentrated environment on and off the field that we think drives the sport in other parts of the world.”

Garber credited prior MLS owners and their promotional efforts with laying the groundwork for Seattle’s successful entry 13 years into the league’s existence.

“We have our challenges, but the league continues to grow,” he said. “That has created some pent-up demand. The combination of right market and love for the game has shown fans will come out and support the sport.

“The downtown location (in Seattle) I think helps a lot and we have an absolutely world-class ownership group. The market helps, the demand helps, but what really got Seattle going and delivered the 32,000 fans and massive excitement is the fact Joe Roth, Drew Carey, Adrian Hanauer and the Seahawks are a dream ownership group that has busted their behinds to put together a plan to deliver the success we had Thursday. That didn’t happen by accident.”